Boise River Flows Expected to Increase Today

Not that you are itching to get into the Boise River these days because of the chilly temperatures, however, officials are asking that you stay out of the water and be extra careful near the river during the next few days, at the least.

According to KTVB, the Bureau of Reclamation will start "releasing water from upstream reservoirs" today and will continue to in the next few days in order to reduce the risk of flooding later during the Spring season.

In February precipitation levels at the Boise Basin were 285 percent above normal totals.

So, just how much will river water flows rise? According to KTVB, it's expected to "increase by 500 cubic feet per second each day over the three days, and by Friday the river will be at around 1,800 cubic feet per second."

If you're thinking, "wow, that sounds like a whole lot of water!" Well, it's not nearly the amount that was flowing two years ago following 'Snowpocalypse." If you remember, at around this time two years ago, the flows of the Boise River at Glenwood bridge were 7536 cfs. To put that into context, the threshold for the river to be considered at flood stage is 7000 cfs.

So, in comparison, the levels won't be nearly as high as they were back then, however, because officials are asking you to stay away from the river, I would assume that those levels could still be very dangerous. So please be safe!